Italian Political Agendas on LGBTQIA+ Issues: Perceived Stigma and Civic Engagement Among Sexual and Gender Marginalized Communities

Abstract Introduction Structural stigma in public policies exacerbates minority stress for LGBTQIA+ individuals. This study explores the impact of Italy’s political climate on perceived stigma and civic engagement within the LGBTQIA+ population, following the inauguration of a conservative government that made a political agenda with explicit negative references to LGBTQIA+ individuals. Grounded in minority stress, social safety, intersectionality, and relative deprivation theories, the research also explores differences in perceived stigma across community subgroups. Methods Data were collected from 619 LGBTQIA+ individuals via an online questionnaire between November and December 2022. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify stigma-related class profiles. Results LCA identified two main groups: marginalized (mostly cisgender, monosexual, experiencing no or single form of oppression and congruence between gender identity and ID) and intersectionally marginalized (predominantly transgender/nonbinary, plurisexual/asexual, experiencing multiple forms of oppression and incongruence between gender identity and ID). Intersectionally marginalized individuals reported higher levels of perceived stigma and civic engagement than their marginalized counterparts. Conclusions This study highlights the disparities in stigma experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community and the protective role of civic engagement as a resilience strategy against minority stress. Policy Implications There is an urgent need for policies and interventions tailored to support Italy’s LGBTQIA+ communities, particularly those intersecting multiple marginalized identities. Comprehensive anti-discrimination laws are needed to protect individuals from hate crimes, and institutions must provide financial support to LGBTQIA+ organizations to empower them in creating community resources that mitigate stigma.